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A serious vulnerability has been discovered in the OpenSSL cryptographic software library used to secure web connections, affecting nearly two-thirds of all websites.

The bug allows a hacker to steal information such as passwords, encryption keys, financial data and other important personal information send through a secure (https) connection.

Fixing this bug requires websites that use OpenSSL for secured connections to update to the current version of the software which eliminates this problem.  Most major websites that use this software have installed the required updates.

If you are concerned about a particular site such as your bank, I would contact them directly to find out the status, or you can go to the Heartbleed test site and put in the website to check if its vulnerable or not:

http://filippo.io/Heartbleed

In any case it would be a good idea to change your online passwords on sites that have fixed or do not have the issue, just in case there has been a previous security breach.

~Ted Eiler

To official Heartbleed Bug website.

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After a 12 year run, Microsoft has decided to officially end support for Windows XP on April 8, 2014.  What this means is that while Windows XP systems will continue to function, they will no longer receive updates, making them potentially more vulnerable to security risks as time progresses.

Also, as hardware and software vendors focus on supporting more recent versions of Windows, you will see more programs and devices that are incompatible with Windows XP in the future.

If you are still running Windows XP and want to stay protected, your best bet is to transition to a new computer with updated hardware and a current version of Windows (7 or 8).

~Ted Eiler

To Article:  Support is ending for Windows XP – Microsoft Windows.